Valparaiso University: Narrative Description

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VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY B-6

1700 Chapel Dr.
Valparaiso, IN 46383
Tel: (219)464-5000; 888-GO-VALPO
Admissions: (219)464-5011
Fax: (219)464-6898
E-mail: [email protected]
Web Site: http://www.valpo.edu/

Description:

Independent, comprehensive, coed, affiliated with Lutheran Church. Awards associate, bachelor's, master's, and first professional degrees and post-master's certificates. Founded 1859. Setting: 310-acre small town campus with easy access to Chicago. Endowment: $130.4 million. Research spending 2003-04: $565,916. Educational spending 2003-04: $7834 per student. Total enrollment: 3,969. Faculty: 362 (237 full-time, 125 part-time). Student-undergrad faculty ratio is 13:1. 3,567 applied, 81% were admitted. 35% from top 10% of their high school class, 65% from top quarter, 91% from top half. 6 National Merit Scholars, 31 valedictorians. Full-time: 2,897 students, 52% women, 48% men. Part-time: 170 students, 71% women, 29% men. Students come from 49 states and territories, 32 other countries, 65% from out-of-state, 0.2% Native American, 3% Hispanic, 4% black, 2% Asian American or Pacific Islander, 1% international, 5% 25 or older, 65% live on campus, 3% transferred in. Retention: 86% of full-time freshmen returned the following year. Academic areas with the most degrees conferred: engineering/engineering technologies; business/marketing; social sciences and history. Core. Calendar: semesters. ESL program, services for LD students, advanced placement, accelerated degree program, self-designed majors, freshman honors college, honors program, independent study, distance learning, double major, summer session for credit, part-time degree program, adult/continuing education programs, co-op programs and internships, graduate courses open to undergrads. Off campus study at Associated Colleges of the Midwest, American University, Lutheran College Washington Consortium, Drew University. Study abroad program. ROTC: Air Force.

Entrance Requirements:

Options: Peterson's Universal Application, Common Application, electronic application, early admission, early action, deferred admission, international baccalaureate accepted. Required: essay, high school transcript, SAT or ACT. Recommended: 2 recommendations. Required for some: interview. Entrance: moderately difficult. Application deadlines: 8/15, 11/1 for early action. Notification: 12/1 for early action.

Costs Per Year:

Application fee: $30. Comprehensive fee: $27,540 includes full-time tuition ($21,000), mandatory fees ($700), and college room and board ($5840). College room only: $3690. Room and board charges vary according to housing facility and student level. Part-time tuition: $925 per credit hour. Part-time mandatory fees: $60 per term. Part-time tuition and fees vary according to course load.

Collegiate Environment:

Orientation program. Drama-theater group, choral group, student-run newspaper, radio station. Social organizations: 100 open to all; national fraternities, local sororities; 30% of eligible men and 20% of eligible women are members. Most popular organizations: Union Board, student government, student volunteer organization, chapel programs. Major annual events: homecoming, Spring Weekend, Parents' Weekend. Student services: legal services, health clinic, personal-psychological counseling. Campus security: 24-hour emergency response devices and patrols, late night transport-escort service, controlled dormitory access. 1,989 college housing spaces available; 1,907 were occupied in 2003-04. Freshmen guaranteed college housing. On-campus residence required through junior year. Options: coed, women-only housing available. Christopher Center for Library and Information Resources plus 1 other with 1.1 million books, 2 million microform titles, 21,360 serials, 6,968 audiovisual materials, an OPAC, and a Web page. Operations spending 2003-04: $3.1 million. 634 computers available on campus for general student use. A campuswide network can be accessed from student residence rooms and from off campus. Staffed computer lab on campus.

Community Environment:

Valparaiso University is located 50 miles southeast of Chicago. For those interested in off-campus recreation and entertainment, it is a 20-minute drive to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and less than an hour to the many theaters, museums, restaurants and athletic events of Chicago.